Porta Portese Markets

Rolled out of bed this morning at 7:30 to check out the Sunday morning flea markets at Via Portuense. About 8 city blocks are given over to stalls. Most of them were selling apparel, but there were also antiques, CDs/DVDs, books, food, parakeets (arguably food), and pieces of art. I picked up two shirts for a total of 8 euro...Pretty good right?

Well. Sort of.

My Italian is pretty lackluster. I find myself resorting more to pointing and head nods than to actual words. If I were mute, I would probably communicate about as well.

One vender stopped me while I was looking at tables piled with shirts, and tried to convince me of something, though I wasn't sure what. She was gesturing to the tables and the shirt in my hand, and telling me "tre" (three). She seemed pretty acccusative. I'd picked up the shirt at a different table, which was clearly marked "5 euro", and I realized that perhaps each table was a separate vendor. I pointed at the other table, and made the appropriate hand gestures to ask if I needed to purchase my shirt from the the other vendor before I began shopping at her table. She stated "tre" another couple times before throwing her hands in the air and saying "ora, cinque" (now, five).

I haggled the price up. Go me.

So I paid with a 50 (irritating her more), and shuffled away.